Disclaimer: Bioware owns all. I just play with their toys.

Chapter 27

Shopping.

I was up to my elbows in a stranger's underclothes and he had called it shopping. Had I known following Vale's cocky swagger into the docking bay would result in such an absurd activity, I might have declined. As it stood, however, we needed supplies – clothing, credits, and new identities in order to survive. I cared little about the theft, knowing it was necessary. I was more upset about the sultry heat clinging to my face and the beads of sweat dripping down my brow as I rifled through the luggage. The feel of my dirt-stained clothes sticky against my skin was of little comfort and I caught his eyes upon me more than once.

I shot him a venomous glare before tossing a pile of clothing aside. Beneath last year's fashions I found a lockbox secured with a rather sophisticated locking mechanism. I pulled it from the luggage and set it on a nearby crate, studying the technology so new and different from what I'd seen before. Frowning, I contemplated the lockbox as if waiting for it to provide with me its secrets.

"You found something?" Vale snorted from behind me.

"I did." I had learned that when dealing with Vale, short and simple answers annoyed him far more than sarcasm and I enjoyed his irritation to no end. The sight of him flustered, green eyes flaring with anger, was a picture I had grown quite fond of.

"So you're just going to look at it, then." He threw up his hands in aggravated surrender and secretly I reveled in his growing discomfort.

"Yes."

"Fuck's sake, Jin. Move." He pushed me aside and stood before the lockbox, contemplating the mechanism. Pulling an unfamiliar bit of tech from out his pocket, I watched as he attached it to the box's port, the display coming alive with color.

I leaned in closer, not caring if the stench of my ruined clothing bothered him, or that he had genuinely piqued my curiosity. "What is that?"

A wry smile creased his face as he turned to face me, his nose only inches from my own. "I acquired a shunt bypass program on my last trip out – comes in handy now and again."

I traced the lines of the display as they worked to extract the access codes, the need to know driving me. "How does it work?"

Vale's smile held, but I noticed a flicker in his gaze. "Tsk, tsk Jin. Trade secrets."

Dropping my hand from the program I turned to meet his gaze, suddenly aware of the closeness of his body. I stepped back, wrapping my arms about my midsection, deciding it was best to watch the program work from afar. "Fine," I snapped.

He eyed me for a moment longer, then turned his attention back to the box as the locking mechanisms deactivated. The smooth, lacquered lid opened to reveal identicards and a hefty stash of credits. It appeared we had our supplies.

I would not have thought to accomplish our goal in one fell swoop, but after searching through the spaceport's luggage for nearly two hours, I was satisfied in the knowledge that we were finally done. I could return to the room, shower, and put on a pair of clean pants. Sometimes the simplest pleasures are the most comforting, and I turned toward Vale, hefting the bag of luggage.

"Ready?"

I watched him pocket the identicards before closing the lockbox and securing it under his arm. "Yes. Let's get back before someone sees us."

I cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing, very aware of the lack of foot traffic in the docks. I could only surmise it was due to the early morn, but having come from a place with no true night, the idea was oddly foreign to me. For the past ten years, I had slept, awoke, and ate by Aria's designs. It was strange to be on my own time, the chrono a function of day and night rather than work and play.

Shouldering my burden I followed Vale through the alleys and back to our room, discarding the bag of clothing on the floor. Once more I entered the washroom, peeling my ragged clothes from off my body, and turned on the shower. The steam lingered in the air as I let the hot water wash away my filth, and so I luxuriated for a time until I saw the damp wrinkles upon my hand. I had showered long enough and wrapped myself in a towel as I exited the washroom.

Vale was already dressed in our newly acquired attire and lounging on his bed, eyes barely open as I entered the room. I pulled the towel tighter about my body and searched the luggage, pulling out a fresh pair of pants and a loose tunic. I hurried back to the washroom to change, but recognized the barest hint of a smile on Vale's face. Damnable lout.

Hours passed between us, neither willing to speak and break the peace that silence brought, but the hour grew late and eventually I tired of staring at the vid screen. I pulled on my boots and made for the door, turning to meet Vale's questioning gaze.

"I'm going to double check the transport schedules for tomorrow." I stated. "And I'm hungry. You coming?"

He seemed to consider my question for a long moment, eyes darkening in thought. I shifted uncomfortably, but held his gaze. Strange how he could be so relaxed one moment and in the next, pulled so tight as if ready to snap. His occasional volatility unnerved me. I was unable to predict his reactions, understand his rationale, and as a creature of habit it grated on my nerves.

"Sure." He jumped up from the bed suddenly and deactivated the vid screen. "I'll go."

The short jaunt to the diner was uneventful, the occasional passer-by throwing us questioning glances, but otherwise we were left alone. The diner held few more customers than my last visit, but the salarian staff looked upon us with the same curious eyes as before. I took a seat in a booth and activated the terminal, the upholstery squeaking as Vale sat opposite me. I shot him an irritated scowl, but he merely shrugged and perused the menu.

I ordered water as before and to my surprise, so did Vale. Our salarian server returned quickly with our drinks and took our order, leaving posthaste for another table. I watched him maneuver through the sparse crowd, trying to place his face but unable to. Frowning, I returned my attention to the terminal, Vale already studying the launch schedule.

Green eyes lit up with interest as he pointed to a data set. "Here – it looks like a transport leaving for Illium tomorrow afternoon from the east pad."

I nodded, vaguely recalling that particular departure. We had "landed" on the east pad and I was hesitant to return there. "Why this particular contact on Illium? I thought you had a slew of contacts from which to choose."

His gaze met mine and Vale's expression closed over, the light in his eyes fading. "The majority of my contacts buy information. They don't shelter frightened little girls on the run."

I bristled at the insult, resentment burning away my mask of stoicism. "Then you'd best stop running."

"Touché." He leaned back in the booth, the cocky smile once more plastered across his face. "And here I thought we were getting along so well."

I held his gaze a moment longer, unsure of what to say, flustered by his flippancy. Frustrated, I turned my attention back to the display, focusing on the schedules, on surety. I understood consistency. I did not understand the man before me.

"They begin loading just after the noon hour," I reported blandly, eager to return to the familiarity of routine, of a plan.

"Well, it's a good thing we packed light."

We ate our meal in silence occasionally broken by the odd attempt at stilted conversation. I was in no mood for politeness, my answers short and curt and evasive. My eyes wandered anywhere but him, observing the goings-on of the customers, the patterns of the diner staff, the quickest route to both exits. I felt Vale watching me for a time, but still I ignored him, unwilling to acknowledge his attentions.

He remained quiet after a time and I assumed he had given up the effort required of conversation. I welcomed the quiet that followed, the familiar feeling it gave me of dining alone. Except that I wasn't. He continued to watch me, studying my movements, but it bothered me not at all. What should I care if he watched me eat?

The server came by and took our empty plates, and I checked the launch schedule once more before linking to Omega's net. Again I felt Vale's eyes upon me, but still I continued to ignore him, scouring the feeds for any mention of my name or of the shootout that occurred during my escape. Industrial logs reported fire damage due to faulty wiring, but I saw no additional reports. I bit my lip in frustration. The lack of news was unnerving.

My attention was drawn back to the present by the squeak of the upholstery as Vale stood. "Coming?" He held out his hand to assist me, but as before in the docks, I pushed it away.

"Yes."

He sighed irritably and exited the diner without me. I stood, confounded by yet another shift in his mood, and followed him out the door. He was already too far away for me to catch him up, and so I continued on at my own pace, the heat and humidity of the day dissipating in the evening air.

A sweet breeze caressed my face, and while Erinle might be a wonderful planet for salarians, I had found it to be rather sticky and uncomfortable. I missed the pull of artificial gravity, the cries of the hawkers, and even the stench of the alleys. I missed Omega.

The beauty of Erinle was in its atmosphere, the sweet scent of thermals rising from the surrounding waterways under the blanket of a pale lavender sky. It was in the dampness of mist, the peculiar taste of rain, the surety of night. It was everything Omega was not, but I could not shake the constant feeling of discomfort. This place was alien to me, as I was to it, and I could linger no longer than necessary.

It was with this unsettling realization that I returned to our rooms, deep in thought, lines creasing my brow. Vale barely glanced up at my arrival, quickly turning his attention back to the identicards on the table before him. I spared him an appraising glance of my own, curious as to his project.

"I'm altering the cards." He answered the question on my lips. "They're no use to us if the information doesn't match."

"You've had some experience with this." A statement, not a question.

"Yes."

I nodded, suspecting as much. Pulling my boots off I curled on the bed and studied my omni-tool. My cloaking device still failed to trigger, and given Vale's preoccupation with the cards, I found myself with welcome time to tinker.

The diagnostic would take little time, and I used it study the files I had downloaded from Guy-Arnold's terminal. It seemed he had bank accounts, as well as contacts, on many worlds. Multiple deposits had been recently made, but I did not recognize the payer. Curious, I dug deeper only to pause as the diagnostic concluded. It seemed the cloaking device had been damaged in the firefight. The optical refractor would need to be defragged and retooled. Sifting through the lines of code would likely take all night and I sighed, reluctantly setting aside the financial files. They could wait. My cloaking device could not.

The night passed uneventfully and I wiped the sleep from my eyes only to recognize Vale's body slumped uncomfortably over the table. He appeared fast asleep and was breathing deeply, his head pillowed on the identicards. I couldn't help the hint of a smile that curved my lips, his face relaxed and open, deep grooves on his cheek from the cards' edges. The image was strangely endearing, but I caught myself as green eyes cracked open, and his mouth moved wordlessly.

"You're snoring again," I barked harshly, hiding my surprise with irritation.

He grumbled unintelligibly as he sat upright, frowning as one of the identicards fell from his face. I turned, shifting on the bed to hide my mirth. A semblance of understanding, of companionship between us was the last thing I wanted. I need not complicate my goals further.

"Here," he tossed me one of the cards as he stood and stretched. "That should be sufficient to get us past security."

I studied the card as he entered the washroom, the splash of water echoing against the walls. The likeness was well done, similar enough in appearance, but with the embedded lines of code for purposes of authentication. I admit I was impressed; that is until I saw my false name.

"Mildred? You gave me the name Mildred?"

"Well," he drawled, the sound of a grin in his words, "we can't have you using your real name, now can we?"

"Yes, but Mildred?" I snorted. "What possessed you?"

He popped his head out of the doorway and shot me a mischievous smirk. "I thought you looked like a Mildred."

I cocked an eyebrow at his obvious bait, and chose another route. "Mildred is not a common human name. It will likely be remembered."

"By salarians?"

"Did you see the security personnel at the dock? Not all are salarian." I stated curtly.

A moment of silence followed and I smiled inwardly at his pause. Perhaps he was not as clever as he believed and that thought was both delicious and disappointing.

"Better get ready." His voice was even, absent humor. "We'll need to be at the docks and ready to board within the hour."

I nodded, if only to myself, and untangled my limbs from the bed sheets. We needed little and planned to travel light, stowing the basic necessities with our stolen goods. I stuffed the clean clothes and toiletries back into our shared bag, securing my identicard within my pocket. Mildred would stay hidden until the need arose. Luck willing, Vale's mockery would raise nothing more than eyebrows.